Shelter From the Storm
by laviecontinue
Summary: Sookie is a homeless human who unfortunately picked the dumpster of Fangtasia to be the place where she gets her next meal for the evening. What she finds instead is two vampires up to some fishy business with a body. Can Eric find some compassion and learn how to help the wayward, struggling human? OOC. AU.
1. Chapter 1

**Hey ya'll. This story went under the title 'Hungry', but I heard Bob Dylan's song Shelter from the Storm and thought it suited the story very well. Hoping you will enjoy this story, and thanks so much for reading. **

* * *

**Shelter From The Storm**

**SPOV:**

It had been days, maybe even weeks since I had really eaten enough food to satiate the pain I felt in my tummy. If it weren't for the nauseous feeling burning away in my belly and throat, or the constant grumbling sounds of my stomach, I could have easily gone a few more days without. But I was getting too much. I needed something desperately to eat so that it would quench the hunger inside of me, at least long enough so that I could get a decent enough amount of sleep.

Running hadn't helped my case of hunger burn any. My legs felt weak and my body trembled from lack of calories, as I waited in a dumpster for someone to throw out some food for me to eat. At some point during my wait, I had started dry heaving as the acid in my belly began burning stronger than before. I had been hiding in a dead-end alley waiting for what smelled and sounded like a restaurant to close its back door for the night when I finally built up the energy, or maybe it was courage, to climb in their dumpster and look for anything remotely edible. I lucked out when I found two left over pieces of meat stuck together in a bag full of kitchen scraps. Without hesitation I started to eat the less mouldy of the two. I had to eat slowly enough to keep from getting sick and hurting my empty stomach but quick enough that the taste didn't linger lest I get sick and throw it back up. In the middle of my focused consumption of the greasy, fatty meat I heard cars pull up next to the dumpster and a door in the alley swing open.

"What the fuck, man? It wasn't me, I swear!" There were several pairs of footsteps and I could hear lots of shouting and pained noises.

"Look, idiot-human. I know it was you. I know you were responsible, and how do I know that? Because I have received tip-offs that it was in fact you. Now, you better explain to me before I bite your fucking head off!" The man spoke quietly but with such a lethal ferocity I hadn't heard in many years. It reminded me almost of how my Grandmother used to chide me when I was younger, before I had ran-away. There was a pause and then I heard that same frightened voice again.

"I already told you, man. I had nothing to do with it. I'm clean, I don't sell your shit, man, I fucking..." The man's voice sounded no more than a weak mumble now. It was strange. I heard it as he was being flung into what sounded like a wall, and his screams of agony terrified me to the core. Then next came an odd gurgling noise, and slurping sounds, like the sound I imagine you make when you suck up a milkshake with a straw. My body was frozen, my breathing halted, my hearing straining for any indication that the people were gone. I heard a thud as something hit the ground and then a second later the voice spoke up again in a completely impassive and careless tone of voice.

"Pam and I will clean this shit up. Chow, you go search for any members of his family. Destroy them first instance you get, and if you pick up any word on who his buyers were, you report them back to me immediately and I will take matters into my own hands from thereon." There were footsteps, and then a car opened and closed. At first, there was nothing but the sound of a car engine drifting off out of earshot, and I thought about moving out of the dumpster. But then I heard footsteps again. I purposefully tried to monitor my breathing so I could hear better. "Ginger, go clean up the blood." The voice was cold and hard, and they sounded irritated and impatient.

A few minutes later I heard a door swing open again and I heard them going at it again.

"We'll throw it in the dumpster, and then let other human's find it later," I heard the man's throaty, deep voice continue to order underneath his breath. I tensed up. Were they talking about this dumpster, or another one? Oh, hell. I tried to keep as still and quiet as possible, clutching a hand over my mouth to stifle my breathing, as I heard low voices and the scuffling of footsteps approaching where I was hiding and grunting noises. I stayed immobile with panic as two shadows formed over the dumpster I was huddled in. There was a male and a female. They were both blonde, and they were so pale their skin was stark-white in the darkness. The man had greased back shiny hair, and the woman's hair was long and intricately braided. She looked like she was struggling with whatever was in her hands, but the taller male seemed to have no difficult whatsoever with hauling whatever it was over towards where I was kneeling. And then, they started swinging their arms, and it occurred to me then that they were actually holding a body. The woman had the legs in her grasp, the man had the head. As they started swinging the body into the dumpster, the woman began to count.

"One... two..." she started the countdown, then started laughing hysterically. "Three," she finished breathlessly, and then the body landed next to me heavily with a racket and settled in the trash heap. I very nearly shrieked at how mangled the man's neck was. Then a shocked face stared down at me. I was frozen in fear staring at the dead, bloody body that had landed near me.

The woman with the long braided blonde hair opened her mouth, showing off her pair of glistening sharp fangs, before shutting it once. She was breathing heavily and staring at me with such fire in her eyes that I thought she was about to drain me herself, and then let the other vampire standing with her go in for seconds of me. She finally spoke.

"Eric, we've got ourselves a big fucking problem here."

Realizing what she meant by problem, I felt my chest tighten up, my stomach start to churn like a washing machine on high speed, and my heart start to pump with dread rapidly.

"What are you talking about, Pa...?" His voice faded when he saw me crouched near the trash bags.

Oh, shit. I was truly in a pickle now, because these were two vampires I was dealing with here. Vampires had come out of the coffin nearly four-years-ago, and I hadn't met many. But it was kind of hard to overlook the fact they were vampires, when their fangs glinted at me menacingly in a way that told me I was dead meat.

Without warning, the man bent down and scruffed me by the neck, like a kitten. The last thing I saw, before everything went dark, was the angry look on his face.

**EPOV:**

_"Eric, we've got ourselves a big fucking problem here."_

I was already irritated by how things had gone this evening. Killing the traitorous human in the alleyway mightn't have been the most prudent thing to do, but it was necessary. When Pamela said we had another problem, I certainly wasn't expecting this.

"What are you talking about, Pa..." I choked on my fangs, and spluttered when I looked down into the dumpster and saw her face.

She was the most weak and pathetic excuse for a human you could ever find; Her cheeks were sallow, she was paler than even myself and Pamela was, and to top it all off, she had dirt and shit all over her face. I wasn't sure what was more startling- seeing a human woman huddled away pathetically in a dumpster surrounded by filthy, reeking trash and a dead body or seeing a filthy fucking girl in a garbage dumpster. Either way, it was a problem. If word got back to the authorities that she had witnessed us kill a human... My teeth clenched at the idea of the shit-storm Nan Flanagan and her authorities would have me go through. I grabbed her by the neck and she passed out. Typical fucking humans; All it took was man-handling them, and already they were unconscious.

Pamela looked at me for direction as the human woman sagged underneath my grip. I said nothing. So Pamela started sprouting off ideas of her own.

"We could kill her?"

"That's not a bad idea, Pam. She witnessed what we just did, and had she run off and told this to the authorities, well, quite simply we'll be fucked."

"Of course she'll run to the authorities," Pamela started whining. "Let's just kill her. She probably won't even feel it."

I scrutinized her face again, and felt something funny stirring within. I sighed loudly. What a pathetic, little animal. "Enough, Pam. Pull her out and take her inside. Tell me when she wakes up."

"What? She's filthy! No way am I touching that! She'll spoil my clothes."

"You can do what I tell you, Pam, or you can stay in the dumpster along with her. Your choice."

She hesitated for only a second, before she huffed underneath her breath, and started to lean over the side of the dumpster to get her. She pulled the human out by gripping her underneath her arm pits, and I watched Pamela as she dragged her inside the bar. When she laid her out on the floor, she went over behind the counter to wash her hands.

"I will take her into my office and lay her out on the couch, Pam," I told her. "I will take care of her from here." Pam nodded with such immense relief that I chuckled. I reached down, slipped my hands underneath her waist, and hoisted the human up into the air. She was light as a feather, and she was still out cold even as I took her all the way into my office and splayed her out sideways onto my leather couch. I wiped my hands on my jeans and bent down to smell her. She reeked. "Jesus Christ," I muttered to myself, astonished. I walked over to the chair behind my desk, slouched into it, and crossed my hands behind my head. I was troubled, wondering what the fuck I was meant to do with her once she woke up.

Since daylight was very nearly four hours away, I managed to fit in some paper work. After a while, I heard faint groaning noises coming in her direction. She was coming to, and once she did, she rubbed her forehead and sat up slowly, looking around my office with a hilarious mixture of both terror and confusion. Then she saw me and her eyes filled with panic. I pushed my paper work away and rose to my feet.

"All right," I said, rubbing my hands together. "I think what we ought to do here is clean you up. Are you well? In any pain that I should be notified of?"

I approached her and then what did she do? She fucking screamed at me, and then blacked out again. She fucking fainted, again. I picked her up off the sofa and carried her back out into the bar, walking around with her aimlessly like she was a rag doll. I just didn't know what I was supposed to do with her. I have no experience with humans besides feeding, fucking, and killing them- which doing neither would have helped the situation with her any. So, after a moment of indecision, I took her back into my office, wiped everything off my desk loudly, and laid her on it. Then I walked back out, making sure to lock the door behind me while I was at it.


	2. Chapter 2

Thank you all for your reviews. It encouraged me to get writing sooner. Glad you all seem to find it amusing and different. Hoping you enjoy this one!

* * *

**_EPOV:_**

I was in a foul mood over our predicament. I clicked my fingers at Ginger, the sensitive human who worked in the bar, and ordered her silently to get me a bottle of True Blood. I found Pam sitting in my chair, polishing her shoes with a rag. Her golden retriever, aptly named Dog, was sitting beside her with its head on its paws. Dog's tail wagged slightly at the sound of my entrance, and he lifted his head, giving me _that_ look with his round eyes. Yes, even vampires like myself aren't immune to that look. Relenting with a sigh, I reached down and scratched Dog between his ears.

"Pamela, what are we going to do?" I asked her nervously in Swedish, because I was all-out on ideas myself.

"I still think we ought to kill her," she replied, still not looking up from her obsessive polishing around her heels. "If she talks to the authorities, we're in trouble. If we kill her, she can't talk. Problem solved."

"We already killed a human tonight for being known as a vampire-blood supplier. Killing two humans in one night; well, Pam, isn't that a bit greedy?"

I decided the first thing I was going to do, was get this human checked out. She fainted at the sight of me. While I am known to be intimidating, that wasn't a very good sign from her. I didn't even have to touch her, and already, she blacked out. Definitely not a good sign. I would call someone who knew how to deal with this well. I pulled out my cell phone, and called Dr. Ludwig, the Vet who often examined Dog and gave him his needed injections.

She answered on the second ring.

"Yes, Mr. Northman. Dr. Ludwig speaking. What can I do for you?"

"I am bringing someone around to see you, so please be at your clinic in precisely twenty-five minutes." Dr. Ludwig catered to vampires and their pooches, and she was the only vet who did.

"Did something happen with Dog? He didn't get hurt, did he? Did Pamela feed him shoe polish again? I advised you both to keep that stuff away from him. It can be poisonous and deadly."

"No, no. Dog is perfectly fine." At this, Dog's tail wagged at the mention of his name. He gave me _the look_ again, so I crouched down and let him jump all over me and lick my face. "I am bringing somebody new in for you to see, and I believe she is going to need some medical attention quickly."

She was silent for a few minutes. Then she said, "Does this female dog need de-sexing so she can't have Dog's pups?" I hated that she came to that conclusion automatically.

"No, it isn't another... dog. It's a human this time."

"Oh, shit." I hated that I had to drag Ludwig into this business, but I just didn't know what else to do. Animals are similar to human's, right? "All right," she sighed after a moment. "I'll be waiting. Tell me now, beforehand: Are there any wounds on her? I'll need to get certain tools if there are."

"No, not any I can see. She looks extremely... malnourished, though."

After that confession, the good Vet hung up. I unlocked the door to my office, got the human, tossed her over my shoulder, and stormed out, leaving Pam and Dog watching after me. I was so shitty, and annoyed that I had to put the human in the front seat of my Corvette. She was too dirty for the leather, and I was concerned she would taint it. After a while of driving, her smell reeked so bad I had to unwind the window to let some air in. I've never smelt a human so pungent in all my lifetime. When I pulled up into the backdoor of the clinic, I put the human over my shoulder again, and went. Dr. Ludwig was waiting in her white coat. The look on her old face matched mine- pure frustration over the situation. The human was still out cold, but I could hear her breathing in a constant and steady rhythm. She was still alive, unfortunately.

"Lay her down on the table, Mr. Northman, and I'll evaluate her." I did as she directed, easy, easy- I had to remind myself, because she was a delicate human- and wiped my hands on my shirt. I was starting to smell like her from carrying her around so much. Jesus Christ. "What happened to her?" she asked, the million dollar question.

"I have no fucking idea. Pam and I were disposing a body in a dumpster, and we found this human in there going through the trash. She passed out. I figured I ought to get her checked out by someone who has particular experience in this kind of thing."

"I'm a vet, not a human doctor," she warned me. "I work mostly with animals, not human's."

"Is there really any difference?" I asked her wryly.

She shook her head sadly, and checked the human's vitals.

"Mr. Northman, come with me for a moment. I need to ask something of you."

I followed her outside warily, wondering what this was all about. I really hoped the human didn't carry any infectious diseases or fleas, or something. Dr. Ludwig looked overly concerned and troubled for some reason. My frustration levels rose to maximum level when she started asking me what my intentions were for the human, once she was well again. I stared at her blankly. I had no idea what my intentions were.

"Are you going to kill her, after I treat her? Because it would be a waste of my efforts here."

Her words should have sliced into me, her accusation. Only it didn't. She was right, though; What use was there of her treating the human and helping her feel better, if she was only going to end up dead by me later?

"Jesus, Dr. I am not going to kill this human, I can assure you. I don't even know what my intentions are myself. I'm only thinking so far ahead as to give her some food, clean her up, and glamour her so she cannot remember ever witnessing my progeny and I disposing of a human body. That it merely it. Usually, I wouldn't care less about finding a human in such a pathetic position as she seems to be in, but I did, surprisingly. I only wish she gets better and no longer hides in fucking dumpsters like a rat scrounging around for food."

She thought about my honesty speech for a little moment, pursing her lips.

"Well, just by looking at her, I can see she is very dehydrated and malnourished. She could do with some fluids and hearty meals."

"And a shower," I pointed out, because it felt necessary. "She fucking reeks. I mightn't know what her story is, but let me tell you: I've never met a human who smelled so foul before. Forget being worried whether I would kill her. I mean, how can I fucking even get close to that? Let alone endure the stink, long enough to drain her? It's a sheer impossibility."

Dr. Ludwig shook her head again at me disapprovingly, and I watched her as she walked back inside. After a moment of hesitation, I followed her back inside. Dr Ludwig's hands were full of towels and other medical supply shit she felt needed.

"Mr. Northman," Dr. Ludwig said loudly, like I was deaf. "Please come over here and assist me by removing the hair away from her face so I can clean her facial injuries."

I didn't even want to fucking touch it, but I had no choice regardless. I huffed and went over to the examination table where the human laid. I felt pathetic as I touched her hair and brushed it back with my fingers. Her ratty, blonde hair felt so dry and straw-like. She needed a good conditioner, that's for sure. I was extricating carefully a few strands that hung over her eyes, when she seemed to come around again. She made a gentle noise, and then gasped like she had been stuck under water for too long. Her eyelids fluttered slowly open, and then she looked up, blinking heavily. Tears clung to her eyelashes as her eyes held mine anxiously. I had seen this look before, on many human's. It was similar to the look they gave me before I killed them.

"We need to clean you and make sure you're okay," Dr. Ludwig spoke gently down at her. "Are you hurt anywhere?"

The human nodded gently, and moaned. Finally, she was coherent enough to understand what was happening to her.

"Where in particular?"

"My... my tummy," she whispered through cracked, dehydrated lips. She was still staring up at me, as though waiting for the moment I pounced. I retracted my fangs very deliberately so that she knew I meant her no harm. It didn't seem to matter, anyway.


	3. Chapter 3

**Thanks so much for reading, and for your lovely responses. I was very shocked. Here we are, back in Sookie's point of view. Hope you like!**

* * *

**SPOV:**

My head was pounding, and I felt so inexplicably afraid of my surroundings. Where was I? Who were these two people? I looked harder at the pair of faces above me. One, was of a woman I did not recognize, but she had kind and compassionate eyes, and she spoke to me in a low, soothing voice. The other person I recalled instantly, and my heart raced in alarm; He was the very same vampire I had seen. He was the same vampire that caught me out hiding in the dumpster when he and another female vampire had attempted to get ride of a body. And now, he was touching strands of my hair, plucking it away from my face carefully. What did he want from me? Would he kill me?

His lips parted and I heard an odd noise as his fangs retracted, and disappeared completely. Suddenly, he didn't appear so daunting. But he was so tall, he was still imposing and nerve-wracking to be around.

I sat up slowly, and inspected my surroundings more carefully. I was lying on a metal plank that made my skin feel all shivery and cold. My shoes had been removed somehow. There was posters on the walls of smiling faces and puppies, kittens, and rabbits. What was this place?

"Mr. Northman, I believe she will be just fine," I heard the woman say, addressing the man standing around near my head. "I have a shower here, so she is quite welcome to use it. Then, the rest I will leave entirely up to you. Get her some human food, and make sure she drinks a lot of fluids in the meantime."

I didn't want to have anything to do with the vampire, but obviously I didn't have a say in the matter.

Stunning me, the woman turned to me and gently helped me off the table. I felt all wobbly but the pounding in my head had gone away a bit. She took me into a room and showed me a shower that she used to wash her pets. How hilarious; I wake up in a veterinarian clinic, of all places. I couldn't even remember how I got here.

She left me to it, and after thanking her profusely for her kindness, I stripped out of my torn and sweaty clothes, and climbed into the shower, uncomfortable in my skin.

I hadn't had a shower in what felt years. It was the most unbelievably glorious feeling imaginable; It was also a bit startling to watch the color of the water spiraling down the drain at my bare feet; It went a dark brown, and then after a while, it ran clear. I felt as if I wanted to stay in the shower for hours, until someone knocked gently and entered. I huddled nervously behind the plastic curtain and heard the unknown woman from before telling me she had a set of clean clothes for me, and a towel to wrap my hair in so I feel warm. I almost cried with shock over how kind she was treating me.

Once I got out, I looked at my reflection in the mirror. It was the first time I had fully seen my face and body, too. I was a bit horrified at what I saw; My body was covered in yellow bruises in various places, and I had little cuts and grazes on my arms and knees. I had a split on my top lip, and they felt terribly cracked and dry when I touched them delicately with my fingers. I opened my mouth and looked at my teeth, and they looked disconcertingly yellow. I hadn't had the simple pleasure of brushing my teeth for a very, very long time. My rib-cage was even showing. When I pulled on the long red T-shirt the woman had given me, I noticed it was so large it went down to my bony knees. Still, it felt wonderful to be wearing new clothes.

When I returned back into the main room, I was delighted to find the vampire had left. Hopefully he wouldn't be returning to kill me later. I just had a bad feeling that he would; especially after what I had witnessed him do tonight with his female accomplice. Come to think of it, the kind lady had disappeared as well. I was alone. I considered running before either one of them got back. It probably would have been the smartest thing to do; I didn't want any trouble with vampires. I searched around for a door, and I found one. Tentatively, I reached out and wrapped my hand around the handle. It was unlocked.

Taking in a deep breath, I pulled it open and was about to run for my life, when suddenly, a dog jumped up out of nowhere and started pawing at my shirt on it's hind-legs. The dog started crying loudly in excitement, looking as though it was so happy to see me. His collar was attached to a lead, and before I knew it, the dog was being told-off and pulled down off me.

My cheeks burned as I saw who the owner of the dog was; The vampire had returned. Apparently vampires had pets. It never occurred to me once that they would.

"I see you've met Dog." He pointed towards the golden retriever, who was now licking at my bare feet. Though the dog was busy tickling me with his tongue, his tail started wagging at the sound of the man's voice. "It would seem Dog has taken a quick liking to you."

"He is very lovely. I like him a lot." I reached down, sat on my knees, and scratched his head with my fingers.

I felt a tad sad, because it reminded me of home: My Grandmother was very fond of our pet cat, Tina. It became hard not to reflect on how it had been back in Bon Temps, when I was younger. My sob turned into an astonished laugh when the dog started licking around my cheeks. I peered up at the vampire still holding onto his lead; Feeling dejected, I wrapped my arms around myself and started to silently cry. The dog started pawing me with even more enthusiasm. The vampire's reaction to that was rather strange and embarrassing; He crouched down near me, level to my face; tilting his head to the side and raising his eyebrows at me.

"Why are you crying?" he asked, sounding genuinely confused.

After all the hardships I had been through, I could easily forget when to be rational or polite. Looking up at him through my wet eyelashes, and registering the way his fangs were peaking through his parted lips, I realized how unnecessary all of this really was. I knew what was coming. So, why did he bother with giving me false hope?

"Look, if you're going to kill me, just get it over with already. Go ahead, and put me out of my misery." I knew vampires couldn't digest the same food we did. They lived off synthetic blood, or got blood from willing fangbangers. Sometimes, they attacked human's and murdered them. I had a feeling I was going to be the next victim. "Stop pretending as though you're concerned over my welfare. This is about what I saw you and your lady friend do, isn't it?

He chuckled a little underneath his breath. Then he reached over with his hand towards me and stroked his fingertips across the back of mine, rubbing his thumb over my knuckles. His fingers felt calloused, and cold, due to lack of body temperature. His face went deadly serious, even as the golden retriever pushed between the pair of us to sniff at his neck. "I am not going to kill you, I can assure you. I do have one question, though: What the fuck were you doing in a dumpster? Human's usually have refrigerators where they store their food, don't they?" He wasn't deliberately attempting to insult me. He was just straightforwardly curious.

"I don't have a home. I live out on the street. It's how I get food. It's what I'm used to, it's where I first look for scraps of food."

He let out a long breath and jerked his head away from his dog out of irritation with it sniffing him. "There are also a number of food-chains where they prepare human food. Why don't you go to one of those?"

"I have no money to buy anything," I answered, heartfelt and sincere. It was the honest to God truth. I had nothing.

He shook his head, but he hardly seemed truthfully sympathetic. "Go back inside and keep warm. I'll go get you some food, and Dog will keep you company, until I return." He stood from his crouched position slowly and untied his dog from the attachment to the lead. "Any requests?"

_Did he just ask me suggestions on food?_ How bizarre. I wasn't sure whether to believe him or not. I stood and wrapped my arms over my stomach, disbelieving. "Honestly, I'll eat anything," I admitted, shrugging. When you have no money, no food on you, nothing.. you find you are open to doing and taking any means possible to survive.

"Even shit?"

I stared at him with a ridiculous look on my face, I'm sure. _Did he just ask me if I ate shit?_

He fished a set of car keys out of his pocket, and within the blink of an eye, he was gone. Rather stupidly, I peered around nervously, waiting for him to reappear. Then I was brought back into reality, when his dog licked at my feet again. I turned and called the dog back inside the funny building with me. I still wondered whether waiting around on this vampire was a very smart thing. What if he had intentions to kill me, anyhow? What if he was just lying? After a while, I realized I was far too hungry and hoping on food that I didn't care if he killed me or not.

I was beyond caring; I just wanted the food he promised to get me.

Once he returned, he was holding a paper bag with food inside. He handed it to me, and I opened it, taking in an appreciative whiff. My mouth watered. It was a McDonald's cheeseburger, and it was the most amazing smell in the world. I couldn't wait to sink my teeth into it.

"Thank you," I whispered breathlessly, touched that the vampire had kept his word.

"Don't thank me. Just eat already." He didn't have to say it twice.

I unwrapped the burger from the paper packaging, and the instance my teeth sank down into the bread, it was absolute heaven. My taste-buds quickly got acquainted with the taste of gherkins and sauce, and the warm food settled in my belly marvelously. I had started to forget that the vampire was in the room, watching me eat with a mixture of silent awe and fascination. I hardly cared that I wasn't being polite in shoving mouthfuls into my mouth, or that sauce trickled down my chin. Nothing else mattered, but the taste.

"Mmm," I moaned appreciatively, licking the sauce off my lips. "Oh Lord, I haven't had a warm cheeseburger in years!"

The very last mouthful got stuck in my throat, as I lifted my eyes to meet the vampire's contemplative gaze. He was watching me far too closely, far too suspiciously with intent. Dread washed over me, and I couldn't swallow. How could I be so foolish?

"You've poisoned it, haven't you?" I asked knowingly, my voice muffled.

He looked rather offended by my accusation. "Of course, I haven't. You should learn the act of trust and the appreciation of someone else's generosity sometime. I wouldn't waste my time going through the drive-through of McDonald's, just to bring it back here to kill you with it..."

"Well, it's delicious. Thank you."

I went down on my knees again after I had eaten, and called the dog back over. He licked my mouth, probably hoping to get some of the remnants of the cheeseburger in him, and I shook with laughter and ran my hands through his fur.

"I suppose you're wondering why you're here. And who the fuck I am."

I looked up at the vampire, shocked. I certainly wasn't expecting any information from him, or any conversations. I just expected him to make a quick slaughter of me, and get it over with. I was still waiting for the moment something unpleasant would happen.

"The only thing I've wondered is when you're going to cut the crap and kill me already. That's basically it. Oh, and I'm wondering why you bothered to buy me a cheeseburger when this is all just going to end badly for me anyway, because of what I saw and what you and your friend did in disposing of that body in a dumpster. I know you're wondering whether I'm going to rat you out or not, but honestly... I wouldn't. I just want to live, and I could very easily pretend I saw nothing. No one would ever believe me anyway; I'm just a pathetic, homeless girl to most people."

He crouched down and clasped his hands together out in front of him, staring down at them. He appeared to be thinking deeply. I was on-guard, waiting for the precise moment he strikes. Instead, the corner of his mouth lifted and he said, turning his eyes on me, "I am Eric. Do you have a name? Do you know it?"

"Of course I know it. I'm Sookie."

"Well, listen, Sookie: I brought you here, because I didn't know what else I was supposed to do with you. I suppose, I feel rather concerned about you, and I feel as though because I found you in a dumpster, as you were, I am liable for some reason. Now, I will only say this once, and once only. I am not going to hurt you, or attempt to drain you, or any other shit like that."

I was startled by how strong and convincingly earnest his voice was. It fired up some courage in me, to ask next hopefully, "So, does that mean I can be off and on my way now? I would like to find somewhere nice to sleep before daylight. Daylight is the worst time of the day for me. I need to find somewhere I can hide, without anyone attempting to do something funny on me before I wake." I wasn't quite sure why I found it necessary to blab all my needs out to him.

He hesitated, and rubbed around his chin with his fingers. "Actually, I have another idea. I would like for you to return with me back to where I live. I can offer you a roof over your head, and a supply of food for however long you need it to restore yourself back to health." I was surprised by that. He wanted me to come back with him? He wanted to take care of me?

"What would I have to give you in return?" I asked suspiciously. I was smart enough to know there is always a catch along with agreeing to anything.

He smiled slightly, and ran his fingers over his lips. "We will get to that later."

* * *

**Sooo what do you think Eric wants from her? Or is he just trying to be kind? Hoping you enjoyed this one? Yes, no? Let me know please! :-)**


	4. Chapter 4

**Thanks so much for reading, and for your lovely responses. I am very shocked and thankful for the alerts I have received on this. I hope this explains certain things of why Sookie ran away the way she did!**

* * *

**SPOV:**

"Look at me," he said gently. And then he stepped closer, rested his hands lightly on the top of my shoulders, and looked down directly into my eyes. I hadn't the slightest idea what he was doing, but he appeared intent for me to look him square in the eyes in return. A bit self-consciously, I slithered my eyes away from his. He put his fingers underneath my chin, tipping my head gently, and said, "No, look at me." So, I did.

I felt rather foolish, standing around, staring into his eyes. Nothing happened. He just stared, and I stared back, and I began wondering anxiously what he was attempting to do to me.

Then, he asked me in a slow whisper, "What is your real name, sweetheart?"

I felt my brows furrow. "But I've already told you? My name is Sookie."

"Sookie _what_?" He tore out through gritted teeth, making his voice intentionally gruffer.

"Sookie Stackhouse."

"And why aren't you living at home, Sookie Stackhouse?"

I felt the familial coiling of my stomach. I began to grow uneasy. Whenever people asked me questions similar to this, about my life, it brought my defences up. I dropped my eyes from his, pushed his hand away from my chin, and slipped away from him. When I turned back to look at him over my shoulder, he looked surprised and astonished for some reason.

"My reasons for leaving my home and living out on the streets like this is really none of your business," I said stiffly, almost trembling with anger. "If there is one thing I absolutely cannot stand; it is people meddling where they have no right. Now, if you'll let me, I'll be on my way now."

I had only taken one step in the opposite direction before he materialized right in front of me. I gasped, clutching onto my stomach, startled.

"Oh, no. You're not going anywhere."

"But I am," I insisted. "And I will."

Before I could even realize what he was attempting to do, he grabbed one of my wrists in his hand, and pulled up the sleeve covering it roughly. "What are these? How did you come to get these?" I didn't even have to look to understand what he was talking about. I knew he was talking about my scars, the symmetrical cuts on my wrist.

"If you really have to know, I did those myself. One day I found a nail, and I cut myself."

His dexterous fingers tightened into my skin to the point where I felt as though he was crushing me. I fought back a whimper of pain. "Why?" He sounded absolutely perplexed.

"Isn't it obvious?" I muttered wryly. "Life can be unfair, and I hate mine. I don't have much to live for. Sometimes the hunger gets so bad, so painful... that I wish I would just die from starvation already. Sometimes I get so cold sleeping outside that I wish someone would just come along and off me. I did it, because the physical pain was something I needed. It was a release for me; It was a distraction from other things."

"How old are you?" It had been so long since someone had even bothered to ask me that question; It had been so long anyone had even cared how old I was.

"Nineteen," I answered shortly.

At that, his fingers loosened gradually. But he still held me.

"Well, your troubles can easily be salvaged. Come with me."

"And at what cost?" I demanded, still waiting for it. "What will I have to give you in return? You never said it, before? I think I would like to know beforehand..."

He seemed to think carefully on an answer to that himself. "I don't know what I want in return from you myself," he replied, slowly and uncertainly. "Truth be told, I haven't thought that far ahead yet. But you should consider coming back with me. I will not hurt you. And, besides, you would be far safer inside where I live, and not out here, in the cold, wet darkness. Terrible things may happen to you out here."

Terrible things had already happened to me, ever since when I was a little girl. First, my parent's passed away in an automobile accident. And then, after that... the Horrible events happened, the Horrible, ugly things that made me realize that the only possible way to escape those situations was to run-away forever so I wouldn't have to be placed in those grotesque occurrences ever again.

I thought hard for a moment into what he was offering me: He was offering me a place to sleep, shelter, and warmth. He was also offering me a full tummy to stave off the annoying hunger pains. If I didn't agree, I knew I would regret it for the rest of my life.

* * *

"I sleep in a coffin down in the basement, which is on the floor right below," he explained to me, as he took me on a tour around the bar. It took me a second to get over the shock over the fact he actually slept in a coffin. How funny. "Also, I don't have a bed, so I hope you won't mind sleeping in my office on my leather couch." He opened the door to his office and stepped inside. I followed after him nervously, and inspected the couch. It looked like a pretty sweet deal to me.

"That's perfectly fine," I answered. It sure beat sleeping in a cardboard box, or in a deserted alleyway somewhere. "You're being awfully kind to me. I appreciate it."

He looked embarrassed by my display of gratitude. Clearly he felt funny about being thanked. "Don't mention it," he muttered briskly, dismissing it. He cleared his throat awkwardly as he glanced around his office. He obviously didn't know what to say. "Well, goodnight." And at that, he turned and quickly left his office without another word, closing the door gently behind himself. And then, a second later, he knocked again and poked his head inside.

"I forgot. Here are some blankets. You will probably be needing these." He thrust an arm through the crack in the door, holding numerous doggy blankets.

"Yes," I whispered, touched. I took the blankets and shook them out long ways. "Thank you for that."

"Goodnight," he said again quickly. And then he shut the door on himself again, hasty to retreat.

I blinked after him, surprised. And then I sighed, went over to the leather couch, draped the blankets over it, and flopped onto it. I peered around his office curiously. I could hardly believe this was really happening to me; That vampires, like him, existed, and that they could be so selfless and kind as to let virtually any homeless stranger into their home.

* * *

There was a sliver of light showing through the bottom of the door where I hid. The space in the closet was small and cramped and stuffy. I could hardly breathe. I began to cry with every step I heard coming from his boots. He was getting closer, and closer. I tried to muffle my cries by slapping a hand over my mouth so that he wouldn't ever find me.

I wasn't that lucky, though.

The door swung open and I tried to hide and disappear into the clothes hanging on the racks. There was nowhere to go. He grabbed me by the hand and dragged me out of the closet.

_"How dare you hide from me, you rude little girl!"_

I was crying even harder, when he slung me onto the bed that belonged to my Grandmother. He knelt in front of my knees, and attempted to pry them apart with his eager, big, filthy hands. I could hear everything he thought, every time he came over. It was always the same. _"Oh, Sookie has turned into such a beautiful little girl... Oh, I wonder how she feels... Does she have her period yet?"_

While he touched me, it tended to get worse.

He kept feeling around, kept trying to push up my dress with his hands. Tried to kiss me, and I could smell the booze rolling off his breath with every gentle word he coaxed at me.

I started to panic. It was happening again. He was here. He was doing it again.

"WAKE UP!"

I started shaking. I started screaming_ no, no. Please, no. Don't touch me. Don't, Uncle Bartlett. Please, oh please._ He never seemed to listen anyway.

"Wake up! Sookie, human! Wake!"

I quickly opened my eyes to see a very frustrated and alarmed vampire standing over me. His hands were cradling my face, and he was shaking me. Before I knew what I was doing, I curled my fist and whacked him across the mouth.


	5. Chapter 5

**Thank you all so much for being so kind. Not sure if you'll like this one haha, and what Sookie does. :P**

* * *

_**Chapter Six**_

Startled, I sat up too quickly on the couch and my hit to the vampire's mouth caused him to stumble backwards. He reached up to touch the exact area where I hit him, and I felt terror grasp me and take hold, when, as he removed his hand from his mouth, a string of dark wet blood came off attached to his fingers. I had made him bleed. His fangs were out, which I had failed to take notice of- since I was still half-asleep- and as I socked him one, it must have caused him to knock into the side of his lips with his fangs.

Those dreams were my usual run of the mill nightmares featuring my perverted Uncle Bartlett. I've had them ever since I can remember.

"Oh, my God... I... I'm sorry." I was horrified by how squeaky my voice sounded, but I was truly frightened. "But you... you startled me from a very intense nightmare."

"I heard you yelling in here and so when I come in to check on you, you punch me across the face. What the fuck is wrong with you?" He wasn't really yelling at me, at least. He was obviously frustrated and angry, though.

The tips of his fangs were stained with his own blood, and his eyes were flaring with anger. Knowing full well in the back of my head that I had punched the very same man who had probably drained that poor guy and made the orders to throw his body in a dumpster as though he was nothing, I wanted to do nothing more than apologize and leave, before I got on his wrong side even more and got myself killed.

I sat up slowly, pushing the doggy blankets tightly around me, as if they would protect me had he decided to pounce. "Hasn't anyone ever told you it isn't smart to try to wake someone, when they are sleeping?" I asked reasonably.

He darted a look at me that I couldn't read. His eyes narrowed and his lips pinched tight, but I couldn't say it was exactly a look of anger any longer. "Who is Uncle Bartlett? You said his name?" He sounded nothing but simply curious.

_Damn. Damn it all. Me and my foolish mouth_. "I don't know who that is," I answered brusquely, avoiding his eyes out of fear that he'd see straight through me. "I don't even know why I said that name. I don't know who that is myself." _Of course_ that was a lie.

Uncle Bartlett was exactly that; My Uncle, my relative. He was the younger brother to my Grandmother, Adele, and he was the very reason I ran-away from my sort-of comfortable existence in Bon Temps, Louisiana, how many years ago I did. I've pretty much lost count on when exactly it was that I had runaway. I didn't like talking about what happened when I was a younger girl, to anyone. No less would I start spilling my guts out to some strange man who was a vampire I didn't know. I haven't talked about it, and I didn't particularly like talking about it. The only person I did talk to about it, was my Grandmother, and she hadn't believed me. She had thought I was making it up. So, difficult and miserable story shortened; I ran away.

"Who is Uncle Bartlett?" He tried again, a bit more forcefully.

"I don't know who that is," I said again, managing to sound pretty convincing to even my own ears. "I probably just blubbered that name in my sleep. It probably means nothing."

I could tell he wasn't going to press it any further, thank riddance. Instead, he shoved his hands into the pockets of his tight black jeans and looked around his office uncertainly. I looked him over with hard scrutiny, while I knew for certain he wasn't looking and that he wouldn't notice my doing so. I guessed he was pretty alright-looking for a vampire. He was tall, around the six-foot mark, and dressed entirely in black. I guessed then that vampire's must really loved the color; It probably helped heighten the allure and dangerous mystery surrounding them. I still couldn't figure out, for the life of me, just what his intentions were in keeping me here like this. It wasn't like he was keeping me here against my will, because I knew for a fact that I had agreed to it, but something told me, a weird feeling I got, that there was an underlying reason for this. He hadn't just done it to be generous and sympathetic to me. Vampire's weren't known to be generous to human's, right? Unless I was mistaken. I've always thought vampire's only saw human's as their meals, their playthings, to get what they wanted: And what they wanted, was warm, flowing blood. Life.

"How long have you, you know... been dead or whatever it is that you are?" It came out of my mouth before I could even manage to stop myself from saying it. Surely, there was no harm done in asking, right?

"A very, very long time," he answered after a moment, his voice laced with anxiety.

"And how long is that? I mean, you look pretty good. For a corpse, I mean."

It was obvious he didn't like my choice of wording; He winced. Truth be told, I didn't exactly know what else to call him. He was a corpse; He had been infected with whatever virus that made vampire's turn out the way they had. I wasn't sure what the virus was called, even. I was utterly clueless when it came to vampire's, so excuse me if I don't know how to show some tact on the topic.

"I am a thousand-years-old."

I almost gasped out-loud. I certainly wasn't expecting that. I eyed him with more trepidation then. Whatever it was I was assuming a thousand-year-old vampire would look like, had I ever met one, he certainly wasn't it.

Someone knocked on the door then, and I took the moment to hide more safely underneath the blankets. A male handed him a glass of what looked like water with unnecessary flourish, and then the thousand-year-old vampire crossed the distance between him and I to hand it out to me.

"I thought you might need this," he said, a bit uncertainly. "The vet said you needed fluids. I was assuming, by that, she didn't mean blood."

"Thank you," I whispered. I took the glass from him nervously. The other man in the room had made a hasty retreat, because before I knew, it was just the pair of us again. The thousand-year-old vampire, I couldn't help noticing, didn't take his eyes off me the whole time as I drank down the entire glass of water greedily. I didn't realize I was so thirsty, but it turned out I was after all.

"Would you like another?"

"No, thank you. I'm all good for now, I think." The blood was still on his lips. I felt bad all over again. "I'm real sorry about that," I whispered again, feeling sick with myself. Poor guy; He had only just came in to check on me, because no doubt I was screaming my lungs out. And then, what did I do? I hit him. _Very nice way of you to show your gratitude over his kindness, Sookie_. "Like I said; next time you shouldn't stand over someone when they're having a nightmare, unless you want to get yourself hurt..."

He licked a bit of blood off his mouth with the tip of his tongue. I fought back a shiver at the sight.

"So, when can I leave?" I asked, although I knew I sounded a bit impatient and rude. It couldn't be helped. He didn't respond, at least not right away, so I added, "I can't just stay here all week. I've got things I need to do."

He fixed a dry look onto me. "Right. And what exactly is it that you need to do? Find somewhere dirty to sleep? Find a dumpster to search for insanitary, half-eaten food in maybe?"

"Screw you," I muttered, in the most flattest voice I could muster. "Just tell me what you expect from me? And please, don't say you're doing this just out of mere kindness for a girl like me. I can see straight through you. I'm not blind! I've lived this way long enough to know that nearly everything comes at a price. No good deed goes unpunished. So name it, please. What's your price?"

A couple of unpleasant scenarios ran through my head: What's his price? Killing me? Tasting my blood? Heck, he was a vampire. I knew anything was possible. I looked at him more closely, wondering. And then, it automatically hit me. He might be a vampire, but he was still a man; A man with wants, and needs. Was that want and need sex, as well as blood? Could that possibly be it?

I've had sex a couple of times before. Those times weren't anything monumental; It was something I just had to do, in order to get what I wanted. I couldn't say I was proud of that, but it was something I needed to do in order to survive. Like I said, if you go too long without nothing, sometimes you're willing to do everything possible to survive and make-do. Twenty-dollars... for food, necessities. Some men were just straight to the point, and wanted a blow job or hand-job in exchange for petty cash. I've never had sex with a vampire before, but something told me that was an entire new ball-game. Did this vampire want sex from me? Was that his reason into doing this?

There was always a very quick and easy way to find out. Men could be simple sometimes. They weren't all that difficult to understand, especially when it came to the matters of sex and physical pleasure.

Putting on my best businesslike face, I shifted out of the blankets and stood near him.

Without preamble whatsoever, I grabbed the back of the long red, T-shirt swamping my body and pulled it off. I flung it down on the floor near the couch carelessly. I was aware, first and foremost, that I wasn't wearing a bra. I was also aware that I didn't exactly look like the most beautiful and appealing peach in the world; Even seeing the front of my body, my exposed chest, I could spot all the purplish bruises decorating my body; the rib-bones jutting out, and the sore, raw scratches. I looked terrible even in my eyes.

His shining eyes flickered straight to my bare breasts, but he tried to seem as if he wasn't actually looking. He looked neither disgusted nor delighted by what he saw. He looked plain... confused. "What are you doing?" he whispered hoarsely. "Why did you do that? Why did you remove your shirt?"

"Because I know this is what you're expecting from me." I knew all about men. Surely, although this one was a vampire, he couldn't have been much different. Right? "This is what you want from me, isn't it? In order to let me go, I must have sex with you. That's it, right? That's pretty much why you have me here, right?"

I reached over to take his hands, emboldened by how flustered and shocked he appeared at me taking off my shirt and presenting myself to him naked. I could tell he wasn't expecting that from me one bit. His lips parted, I could hear him breathing shallowly, and I could see his fangs. I didn't know what that meant, as far as vampire's go, but I was hoping it meant he liked the sight of me and that I was correct in what I was assuming. Wrapping my hands around each of his wrists, I guided them towards my naval and steered them into touching me. His hands were unlike anything I had ever felt before; They were so cold, so... firm. When I made his hands lie on top of my breasts, I let them stay there and removed my hands slowly away so that he could feel free to take his own initiative and touch me wherever he pleased. The hands and long fingers remained on the round swells of my breasts, and I could faintly feel them trembling into my skin.

"I've ridden a few guys in my time," I confessed. "But riding a vampire... well, can't say I've ever experienced that before. Will you let me go after this? This is what you wanted from me, from the very start, right?" I forced myself to stare brazenly into the vampire's eyes, while his hands remained where they were lying flat over my breasts, his palms on my nipples. It was almost as if he was afraid to move; He was _that_ still. "I know what most men are all about, and that's sex. I've met a few men out on the street that asked me to do sexual favours for them in return for money or some hot food. Is that what you want from me? A favour?"

He was very nearly gaping at me with confusion. "You are a prostitute?"

"Not quite." I felt my stomach churn with uneasiness over how quickly he came to that hurtful conclusion. "I have my standards. But _sometimes_ a girl's gotta do what a girl's gotta do, in order to survive in this mean and dark world. Even if it means doing terrible things that go against what she ultimately believes in."

"Oh, I know about that all too well," he said, his voice going lower and husky. "You have to do anything in order to survive."

"Exactly." I smiled up at him softly, tentatively; pleased that he understood where I was coming from. Reaching down with my hands, I undid his jeans, and then reached down with my hands lower to yank open his fly. He simply gazed down at me; the corner of his lip glistening with wet blood from the punch I had only just given him. I peered up at him through my lashes, hopefully in a seductive way to him. "So _is_ this what you want after all? You'll let me go, and you won't hurt me? You'll let me forget about all that I saw, what with you and your lady friend killing that man, and dumping his body? You'll let me leave without doing anything to me, if I give you _this_?"

"What?" he breathed softly, his eyes widening.

"You can go ahead and touch me, anywhere you want."

"What?" he said again. He was gazing down at me, with something I hardly recognized. He looked almost fearful, and shocked. Most men were more than happy to just go ahead, dive in ruthlessly to get their pants off, and touch me, have me put my mouth on them. He seemed hardly eager to jump in in the slightest. It was... odd.

"Are you gay or something?" I asked in sheer confusion. It was the only logical explanation I could come up with.

"No, I'm not fucking gay," he grunted through gritted teeth, and before I knew what was happening, he grasped me by the shoulders and pushed me backwards. "Have you no shame?"

I felt my stomach bubble with nerves. "Jesus, I'm sorry." I felt suddenly disgusted with myself. "I just... I thought... I guess I don't know what I was thinking. I just thought this was what you wanted from me? I won't mind, if you do? I'm used to it by now."

I yipped with fear, when he bent down to grasp me by my shoulders again. He made me stand, and then he tossed me back down onto the couch. He was panting, exactly like me. He also looked undecided as all hell, and confused.

"Look, it's no big deal," I said, trying to soothe him. "Really, I don't care if you want it. You don't have to be proper 'round me. I know what most men want from the opposite sex."

He gazed down at me sideways on the couch. There was irritation in his eyes. "I am not like most men, human," he said, in a low and throaty voice. "The sooner you realize that, the better." Without another word, he spun on his heel briskly and left the room. I heard the door lock behind him.


End file.
